Administration seeks applications for job; farmers want land back

The district administration has asked people whose land was acquired for the Poena thermal power plant at Gobindpura to submit applications for government jobs as compensation, even as a district farmers union is all set to hold a protest on February 11 against the non-fulfillment of promises made by the state government.

The last date for submitting applications for a job to one member of each affected family is March 31. The deputy commissioner has sought applications from farmers whose land was acquired by the state government for the 1,320MW thermal plant to be set up by Poena Power Limited, a subsidiary of India Bulls.

During the process to acquire 880 acres of land at Gobindpura, Sirsiwala and Jalbera villages, a number of farmers faced detentions, water cannons and baton charge by police during their protest against the "forcible" acquisition. Two farmers were also killed during the protests.

The state government had announced compensation to the kin of dead farmers. It reached an agreement with farmers on November 25, 2011, to return around 150 acres of land to farmers.

BKU (Dkaunda) district president Ram Singh Bhenibaga said, "The state government had agreed to return our land and pay compensation to farmers who were injured, but we are waiting for the compensation and our land has not been returned officially by denotification. No farm labourer had been given the promised compensation of Rs 3 lakh, while farmers who were injured during the protest were given Rs 5,000 each instead of promised Rs 25,000 by the state government. We will hold a protest in front of office of the Budhlada SDM on February 11."

When contacted, Mansa deputy commissioner Amit Dhaka said, "We have sought applications from farmers who gave their land for the thermal plant. The deadline to submit applications is till March 31. The kin of farmers whose land was acquired can file the application with us and also in cases where the age of an applicant is less than what is required for the job. A meeting was held in Chandigarh where the issue of denotifying the land was taken up and farmers will soon be given remaining compensation. The land will be returned after denotification."